Once President Obama’s time in office is up, one of the main things I’ll had wished he had done more often is call out Republican nonsense during his presidency. No other president has ever faced such blatant obstruction and sabotage like he has, yet far too often he’s sat back, letting Republicans control the message.

Since we all know over these next 2+ years Republicans in Congress aren’t going to allow anything to get done, I really hope that he spends these next couple of years just hammering Republicans for their ignorance and ridiculousness.

Much in the same way he did during an interview with New York Times writer Thomas Friedman. While speaking on various topics, President Obama ventured away from generalities and took a direct shot at Republican ignorance and the radicalization of the party:

“And by the way, it generally is fact-based and reason-based. You know, we’re not denying science, we’re not denying climate change, we’re not pretending that somehow having a whole bunch of uninsured people is the American way.”

I think he should open every public speech he makes saying something very similar to this. Just walk up to the podium and say, “First I’d like to say that, for the record, Democrats aren’t the ones denying science, climate change and trying to keep millions of Americans from being able to afford health care.”

Then just carry on with whatever it is about which he planned to speak.

Because that’s honestly what a lot of these arguments boil down to. Sure, there’s a lot of back and forth rhetoric based on what people want to believe versus what’s real. But at the core of a lot of these arguments is the fact that we have a party who believes in science and history up against a party who thinks the Bible is a science/history book.

Many liberals see the Earth and realize it’s billions of years old with thousands upon thousands of years of human history. Many right-wing conservative Christians see the Earth and thinks it’s 6,000 years old, was created in 144 hours and a 400-year-old man by the name of Noah saved all life on the planet by building a giant ark.

Many liberals view climate change as a serious threat to all humankind. Many conservatives see climate change as “God controlling the weather” beyond the grip of human influence.

Even many basic equal rights issues break down to conservatives believing that the Bible is the moral code on which this country was based, with liberals believing that our Constitution (which doesn’t include a single religious reference anywhere in it) grants us our rights and is from where our laws should be derived.

Though I can already hear conservatives whining about these comments, “See, the Divider in Chief is at it again! No wonder nobody will work with him!”

It’s the tactic they always use. Republicans are constantly pulling some kind of ridiculous partisan nonsense. Then whenever President Obama calls them out on it, he’s the one dividing everyone. Despite the fact that Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin and just about every other right-wing media outlet in this country spends 98 percent of their time fear mongering against the president – somehow he’s the one trying to divide everyone.

I guess he’s the one who called himself an un-American Marxist communist socialist non-Christian antichrist who hates America and should be impeached. You know, all those “unifying” adjectives.

My biggest hope is that this is the President Obama we see these next 2+ years instead of the guy who keeps letting Republicans control the message.

Allen Clifton is a native Texan who now lives in the Austin area. He has a degree in Political Science from Sam Houston State University. Allen is a co-founder of Forward Progressives and creator of the popular Right Off A Cliff column and Facebook page. Be sure to follow Allen on both Twitter and Facebook. Have feedback, inquiries, criticism or compliments? You can email him as well.

Comments

Republicans really hates government yet they want to be the one in charge of it. I personally guarantee that next Republican supermajority in government will sold us out to corporate world lot worse than W. Bush did to us.

u_go_guys

They tiptoe. They pretend to be doing “something” by filing a law suit. They will not move to impeach because the “can of worms” will expose them! They continue to use fodder (“kindling”) to keep the flame of prejudice and hatred alive, hoping that will be enough to keep the House, take the Senate, and snag the Presidency in 2016.

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its all about the scumbags on the extreme rightwing ( Limbaugh / palin/ Bachmann/ Hannity/ beck/ “no tits” malkin / bolling / Levin / ETC) being paid MILLIONS to TRY 2 keep the atrophying white trash elitist “message” alive– paid by “patriots” such as Koch brothers and grover norquist allies. I have NO PROBLEM discussing the REAL flaws of liberal policies: I have UBER problem with some low IQ creeps telling me that some long dried out PROPHET ( see: jesus) is the ONLY way we can achieve personal and social salvation when these regressive creeps do NOT want EQUALITY for ALL americans,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, women and gays and minorities are to be shuttled ACK in time when the white trash religious scum ruled with an iron fist and police brutality( NOTE: im a middle aged Caucasian)

WHF

So you admit to being a racist, homophobe and mysogynist white trash scum.

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awwwww,,,,,,,,,,look everyone!! a brand new name/profile WHF!!! we LOVE all of U small dicked loser white trash who create profiles on these threads just to ask us to CHANGE YOUR SOLIED CRYBABY PAMPERS!! awwww,,,,,,,,,,,,, poor little fella: no hopes,,,,no life,,,,,, wishing that GREAT prior administration and its sterling (see: destroyed America) policies were back!! PRAISE 21st century JEEEEEEESUS!!!

Karen

Thank you, Allen Clifton! I keep waiting for him to stand up at a podium and call people out. Name names. I call Bullsh*t!!! Look straight into the camera and just do it!!!! Reminds me of the movie “American President” when everyone wants the president to stand up to the republican bully.

Sue Roediger

I’d like to see him come to the podium wearing leather gloves and slowly take them off, drape them across the edge…. then just begin to tell it like it is !

WHF

We would to, but Obama comes up to the podium looks America straight in the eyes and lies to their face.

lit10

Like about what?

Sue Roediger

All politicians stretch the truth …. but the “weapons of mass destruction” President is the Champion. I do believe you get your news from Fox…………and that is truly sad.

I would like to state that this article makes a major error. As a liberal, I do not believe the Constitution grants us our rights. I believe the Constitution, in the Bill of Rights and elsewhere, provides a non-exclusive listing of the rights of all people. That is ALL PEOPLE, whether in the US or not, white or not, rich or not, Christian or not. Those are inalienable human rights. I believe it to be a serious error to confuse a listing with a granting.

Without a government in place to protect them, human rights are little more than inefectual abstractions. It’s easy to beleive in inalienable rights when you’re a member of the politically dominant group, but ask African Americans where their inalienable human rights were before June 9, 1865.

Lisa M. Alter

While I absolutely agree that Blacks and anyone not Western European in appearance are grudgingly granted rights when they are granted at all, I am not a member of the politically dominant group. I’m a woman. Where were our rights before 1920? Where the hell are they now? I’m also a Jew. We get hate world-wide. We’ve gotten hate for thousands of years. I get hate for not celebrating Christmas; I live in the bible belt. People simply cannot believe it because I look so normal.

paulblair

Yes. Where were your rights before 1920? Oh, yeah…they didn’t exist – at least in any tangible fashion. That was my main point. Being a woman and to a lesser extent, being Jewish is still a hinderance, I will grant you that, but you are still in one of the more dominant social groups. I’m sure there are plenty of minorities who beleive in the concept of inalienable rights, but ithe beleif is in something no more tangible than that of a diety up in the sky “protecting” them.

Lisa M. Alter

I believe I understand your view. Your rights are my rights; if you don’t have any rights then neither do I. But my point regarding liberals believing in a “grant of rights” in the Constitution was secondary to the point of the article regarding conservative denial of science and evidence. Realistically, I don’t think we will find scientific evidence of inalienable rights. Are you stating that just because a given government does not grant your rights means you do not have them? In a practical way it renders them meaningless, but I believe they are still there.

paulblair

I think we just happen to fall on different sides of the “Natural rights versus legal rights” debate. I just don’t put much stock into the concept of natural rights.

Lisa M. Alter

Interesting. I strongly believe in legal rights. I believe in both. I do admit that a natural right without a legal right is relatively useless.

WHF

This article is such BS. First, The GOP does not control any message. We are always put on the defense. Second, Obama is a terrible leader. If you want your policies passed, you do not call out the other side. You DO NOT CALL THEM THE ENEMY. Thirdly, it is the people on the side of climate change that has been called on their lies, changing the data and changing the name. If you were a true scientist, you would know that climate change, global warming and global cooling is a THEORY. Theories change over the course of time.

I have never seen in my long life have I seen a president that has divided this country more than Obama. As a recent study showed, he is the worst President in the past 75 years. Carter has been jumping up and down for the last few years knowing he will not be the worst president ever.

Wayne Heddinger

Aren’t you special !………fucking nit-wit !……..

VOTE DEMOCRAT NOVEMBER 2014 !

WHF

Typical liberal showing their non-existent IQ. Cant debate an issue so you start calling people names.

Wayne Heddinger

can’t debate a nitwit who denies facts….you’re an idiot !…….you are a perfect example of the typical right wing dumbass that the president and the story speak of !…………

VOTE DEMOCRAT NOVEMBER 2014 !

Adam Smith

There’s no point in debating people who live in an alternate reality with alternate facts. It’s better to simply recognize that they’re an idiot and move on.

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hes just another small dicked white trash regressive troll who changes user names daily and then uses “guest” to give himself upvotes……

Chomper Lomper Tawee

Debating you would be like debating a priest on the existence of God.

giankeys luvs shemale porn

mine is 151 and I come with substantiable facts from CBO and US treasury: care to engage me in extrapolation????

your “Benghazi” Tshirt is torn

Adam Smith

If you live in denial of reality, you ARE the enemy. Ignorant people like you in positions of power are dangerous.

Jacob

Do you even know what the scientific definition of the word “theory” even means? I stopped taking you seriously when I read that part.

Dar

Ever heard of cognitive dissonance? You are a text book example. Look it up knuckledragger..a recent study shows what? Oh, you mean a right-wing, conservative, neo-con propaganda wielding think tank? Yeah, I’m sure they are so unbiased. What study? Post your sources knuckledragger and let’s just see how legit it is. Worst president in 75 years? Lol! Your ignorance is baffling to the mind. And you are spouting that liberals have a low IQ? You have proven the exact opposite with your asinine, brain dead and ridiculous comments. I think you need to go back to the tea party page and bask in your blatant stupidity with all the other knuckledraggers.

” as a recent study shows”…………………….. hey WHF loser- hows the economy? growing faster than anticipated,,,, hows the Benghazi “scandal”? repubs this week announced that NO coverup and NO malfeasance occurred.– hows spending? deficit AND debt shrinking- especially deficit–. hows “obamacare failure” — millions now insured; insurance companies claiming that americans are paying the premiums. how are the VETERANS? now getting more housing and access to physical and mental care faster. Hows EQUALITY for ALL americans??? gays can marry and be in military; women now getting equal pay– and we LOVE watching white trash regressives such as U squirm over the above several points I just presented. ” war of Christmas” anyone???

Erin Krumenacker

That recent study was conducted by the GOP on a very small group of people. I think that Reagan and Bush Jr. are tied for the two worst presidents in the last century. Obama and Carter don’t even come close. Climate change is very REAL. You can see it when you look around. Massive rain storms, severe droughts, more tsunamis, hurricanes, and tornadoes. The right needs to wake up and get their heads out of their asses.

LenPDC

The

DogmaDestroys

“As a recent study showed, he is the worst President in the past 75 years”…

Citation for said “study”? Notably absent. And a survey of mostly white trash wingnuts does not constitute a legitimate “study” in any case, loser. And even if one buys into your horseshit assertion that Carter was previously the worst in history, you can bet he has been jumping up and down with joy since somewhere around 2004-2005 -when the worst president in US history WAS in office.

DogmaDestroys

One minor point of contention, Allen: The US Constitution DOES contain two religious references – in Article VI (No religious test for elected office), and in the First Amendment (Establishment and Free Exercise clauses). But to be fair, both of these are negative affirmations of religion.